The Dream Thief
by MaddsLovesTwilight
Summary: My head throbbed, blood pounding hard in my ears. 'Just a dream, just a dream….' I chanted this in my head foolishly, knowing that this wasn't 'just a dream'. Because it was a nightmare. And it wasn't 'just a nightmare'. Because it was real.
1. Prolouge

I woke up in the middle of the night screaming into my pillow

I woke up in the middle of the night screaming into my pillow. Third time this month. I sat up with a start, gasping for breath now.

My head throbbed, blood pounding hard in my ears. My body was covered in a thin sheet of sweat, making my clothing and tangled sheets stick to my body and my hair to my flushed face.

_Just a dream, just a dream…._

I chanted this in my head foolishly, something I've been doing since I was seven. That was when it started happening. Ten years later, and I know that this is not _just a dream._

It's a nightmare.

And this is not _just a nightmare_.

Because there's no way to escape this nightmare.

Because it's _real_.

**R&R**


	2. Irony

**Chapter 1**

"Hey, Bella, pass the milk." She paused, waiting, "Hello? Earth. To. Bella."

I looked up at my cousin, Cameron, who was now staring at the milk pointedly. Oops.

"Milk, right. Sorry, Cam. I don't think I got enough sleep last night," I looked down, mumbling my poor excuse before passing the milk carton to her from across the table.

"Was it the dreams again?" she asked me under her breath, glancing at our mothers in the other room, drinking their coffee. I shrugged vaguely, disliking how she said it in such a casual manner, but it confirmed her suspicions. Her large blue eyes, so much like my mother's, narrowed ever so slightly with curiosity, but she didn't push the subject. I hated it when she did that.

I sighed in defeat. "Yah, but it's no big deal. Same stuff." Cam was the only one who I ever told about the dreams… more like nightmares. She's my best friend.

The nightmares always featured the same handsome, yet terrifying, pale-skinned man with the most frightening ruby red eyes that seemed to bring forth all of my fears and terrors in one stare. Looking into those eyes was like being dunked into ice cold water and never being able to surface in enough time. I shuddered at the remembered sensation.

Cam noticed my trembling and said, "You know, I wish I wasn't such a heavy sleeper. Maybe then I would be able to help you." I almost laughed. Nobody could help me because I was an outsider that probably no one would ever understood.

"It's fine. Seriously, don't worry about it. They're just dreams, right?" I was only trying to persuade her. I figured out a long time ago that these weren't just visions in my head when I'm unconscious…very vivid visions. But Cameron didn't have to know that.

"I guess you're right. But you can always tell me these things. I'll always be here," she reminded me softly. I resented when she acted so much older than me. I was older than her, but she always understood everything I threw at her.

I tried to lighten the mood just a little. "Yah, I know, it's 'cause we share the same room, Cam." She rolled her eyes.

"Okay, okay, I get it, but still-"

Our conversation was abruptly cut off when Zack came tramping down the stairs angrily.

"It's not fair!" the four year old griped, sitting down in his chair, crossing his arms and pouting cutely..

"Sorry, Zack-ey, but summer's over next week," Cameron teased, ruffling his soft, blond hair

"But I'll have no one to play with!" Again with the adorable pouting.

I stood up to make him a bowl of cereal. "You can play with Joe," I advised him lamely.

On cue, the Jack Russell Terrier came galloping in the kitchen happily, licking Max's hand and running through my legs haphazardly. My mother had bought him when she went through an "animal lover" phase.

Ironically, she was allergic to dogs.

I was hugely attached to Joe; he would always come in our room when I was having a really bad night and hop on my bed, waking me up with a jolt. The sooner I woke up, the better. He had done this ever since I was seven, helped me when I knew that I couldn't cry out to my mother like a normal little girl with harmless dreams that she wouldn't remember in the morning.

I grimaced at myself, sounding like a cheesy TV drama with my "woe is me" speech.

**(Picture of Joe on my profile. Joe is an actual dog, so I had to find one that looked close to the real thing.)**

"Yeah… you could teach him how to sit," Cameron said sarcastically, but he didn't notice. Zack's eyes lit up at this, huge aqua eyes shining. Cameron chuckled under her breath and murmured, "And that shouldn't be very hard to do."

I started to clean my breakfast up from the table quietly, still absorbed in my thoughts when the phone rang. I jumped slightly, but stumbled quickly around Joe to answer it.

As I reached out to pick up the phone from the wall, my shadow covered the wall. Suddenly, a black snake was wrapped around the phone and on the wall. I would have screamed, but I knew it wasn't real. The snake had blood-red eyes.

Oh no… Not him again, I thought miserably. It glared at me right in the eye and hissed, opening its mouth all the way open, making me flinch away and feel light-headed. I instinctively turned to see if Cam or Zack heard the awful noise, but I knew they wouldn't. I turned back to the "snake", but it now morphed into a black scorpion, tempting me to scream. I felt faint.

The phone was still ringing, and Cam turned to look at me curiously. I took a deep breath and gripped the phone, knowing that my hand would go right through the creature. The "scorpion" turned into a black wreath of smoke around the phone that soon disappeared, but I felt as though I had just plunged my hand into ice water.

My cousins saw nothing.

"Hello?" I asked breathlessly, though I was recovering quickly from the encounter. I was used to this- 10 years of practice, I though wryly to myself.

"Hi, Bells, can I talk to your mother please?" I recognized my father's voice on the other end of the call, all the way in Forks, Washington. Why would he want to talk to Mom?

"Sure, Dad….". I threw a confused expression to Cam before walking into the living room to hand the phone to Renee. "It's Dad," I mouthed to her. I didn't miss the anxious glance that my mother and my Aunt Marie exchanged before she took the phone into the other room.

"Bella, honey, do you want to go outside today? It's beautiful outside!" she said quickly, but I knew she was just trying to distract me.

"Um… no thanks. I'll just go to my room…." I mumbled quietly. I suddenly felt like I had to lay down.

**The next day…**

"Bella, can you come in here?" my mother's voice rang through the house, breaking my reverie. I had been staring out the window just trying to forget. Forget him. Forget everything. Again with my depressing mood. I should really stop doing that…

I got up slowly and walked into my mother's room. She was sitting on the bed and patting the seat next to her. A feeling of dread coursed through my veins. What was wrong? What happened? Was she seeing another guy now? Was she going to try something hazardous like bungee jumping again?

"What's wrong, Mom?" I sat down hurriedly. A look of discomfort crossed her face for a second before an uneasy smile settled on her face.

"Well, nothing really, Bella, it's just that your Aunt and I worry about you. You're always so isolated, and you seem so… unhappy. You were always such a quiet child…."

She didn't notice my flinch at her observation.

"But I was always hoping that you would break out of your shell, get some friends. Well, you do seem to be close to your cousin…." she rambled on, reluctant to get to her point.

"Mom, what are you trying to say?" I asked quietly, though I already had an idea. I tried to fight the choking sensation that seemed to be closing my throat as she brought my world crashing down around me.

"Bella, your Aunt and I think that maybe you should try to live with your father for a few months, to see if you like it better there. To get some fresh air."

I was frantic. "Mom! I can't leave Cam and Zack! I can't! I'll go outside! There's fresh air outside, too!" I couldn't breath as I thought of leaving Joe, my aunt, my mother, too. Tears started to form in my eyes, threatening to overflow.

"Your father has already agreed, and I'm sending you tomorrow." The phone call. That's what they were talking about. That's why Marie and Renee had been so anxious around me yesterday. They were discussing it behind my back.

"But Mom…." I trailed off uselessly. She was playing the parent roll now, and I was the child again.

**At the airport….**

I turned to face my family one more time before I entered the plane. Zack suddenly shot out of his mother's clutches and stumbled up to me. I fell to my knees to hug him tightly. I buried my head in his hair and smelled his "No tears" shampoo. "I'll miss you, Zack," I murmured.

"I'll miss you too Bella," he croaked. I pulled back and smiled at him, wiping some of his tears away with my fingers..

"You teach Joe how to sit for me, 'kay?" I made my last request to him, trying not to sob when I thought of Joe again.

He nodded smiling a tiny smile. "Do you have to get on the airplane?" he begged me with his eyes, sad again.

I nodded sorrowfully. "I do…. Be a good boy, you always are," I whispered before kissing his cheek and releasing him, standing up to see Cameron walk up to me.

"Hey," I whispered. I stared at my best friend, so much prettier than me, in my opinion. She had her mother's looks, blue eyes, dirty-blond hair, hers more of a darker color than her brother's, almost brown, but with natural blond tints and streaks. She had pale skin, but not as pale as mine.

"Hey," she whispered back. We were both fighting tears. We suddenly broke into a tight hug, crying hard. But we got a hold of ourselves quickly, and when we separated, I felt that I left a part of me with her, my cousin, my best friend ever.

"You can still always call me. You can tell me anything. Anything," she assured me. I nodded, wiping the last of my farewell tears away, wondering why she always said that.

I turned to my Aunt Marie and my mother, Renee, the two women that had raised me. I couldn't be mad at them. They wanted what they thought what was best for me, even if that meant tearing my heart in two.

They both enveloped me in one huge hug, suffocating me, but in a good way that made me never want to let go. When I released them, my half- heart split in two again, making me shed a few tears again.

"Love you, Bells," Aunt Marie whispered before kissing my forehead. I grinned at her.

"Love you too."

My mother had moved in with her sister when she had left Charlie, taking me with her with intentions of moving out a few months later after she got back on her feet. She never left, and for that, I was very grateful. I would never know Cam the way I knew her now if Renee had left and gotten another house, another husband… not that I wouldn't want my mother to be happy if she found somebody else. She deserved to be happy.

"Say 'hi' to your father for me, Bella," Renee added reluctantly. I nodded. "Love you," she murmured as she hugged me one more time.

"Love you," I whispered, depressed from all of these goodbyes.

I waved goodbye one more time before getting on the plane, feeling as if I were facing my worst nightmare.

How ironic.

**R&R**


	3. Captivating Eyes

**Chapter 2 (Crazily Sane Pancake props XD)**

**Amy- You are so on for that road trip. :D **

**THINGS TO DO:**

**-BUY (OR STEAL. MUAH HA HA HA) A SHINEY VOLVO**

**-BUY A MAP TO FORKS, WASHINGTON**

**-FIND EDWARD CULLEN**

**-Try not to get pulled over by a police for not having a driver's license….**

"Hey, Bells! How are you?" My father exclaimed, taking my not- so- heavy bag from me as I hid my grimace at Charlie's attempt to sound overly eager that I was coming to live with him when he saw me It wasn't that he wasn't happy to see me, just more like he wasn't very good at expressing emotions.

"I'm good, Dad. Thanks," I said shyly as I pulled a piece of loose hair behind my ear nervously. I hadn't really talked to my father a lot when I lived in Florida, so things were quiet and slightly uncomfortable between my dad and me.

The car ride was full of forced conversation that made me feel strangely out of place in the small police car, like I already didn't fit in.

I bit my lit as I tried to relax. So what if tomorrow was a first day to a new school that I would know absolutely no one? So what if I wouldn't make conversation with anybody and I would be classified as someone that nobody sat next to at lunch? Isn't that what I wanted though? To not talk to anybody and not form any bonds?

Why bother? It never worked in Florida, why would it be any different here? I wasn't like normal people, and it would be a lost cause to try to act like one. But still, something inside of me yearned for someone to like me, or someone to talk to. I pushed these foolish thoughts away stubbornly.

There was my cheesy life drama moment again.

My father asked me another half- hearted attempt at conversation.

"You seem tired, Bella. Didn't you sleep on the plane?" he asked, sounding oddly concerned.

No, I hadn't slept on the dreary plane ride. It wouldn't be good for me to wake up screaming in front of innocent people and children. I remember when I had accidentally let my guard down when I was nine on a plane ride to visit Charlie in the summer, and I had woken up screaming, my mother had been frantic trying to calm me down. I was fighting tears for the rest of the ride.

"No, I didn't feel like sleeping," I said, avoiding his gaze as I watched the thick wall of green from outside my window.

"Oh," was all that he said before it was quiet for the rest of the car ride until something caught my eye.

My brow furrowed. I was looking out the window, watching as the small house by the edge of the forest slowly grew larger and larger, when I saw something red and large in the driveway. I blinked, trying to make my eyes focus more. It was a truck? Charlie never mentioned getting a new car. Why had he picked me up in the embarrassing police car if he bought a new truck?

"Dad? When did you get a new car?" I asked curiously. He smiled sheepishly and took a very intense interest on the road, which was unneeded, considering the speed that we were going now.

"Well, I got it a few weeks ago from Billy Black. Do you remember him?" he asked hesitantly. I shook my head no. "Well we used to go fishing together. He's in a wheelchair now, so he offered it to me…."

"Why do you need two cars?" I questioned, still confused, feeling stupid..

"Well, Bella, it's for you," he confessed quickly, turning onto the street now. My eyes bulged out of their sockets. I couldn't believe it. My own car? I could see it a little better than before, and it looked very big, and old. But I think I may have actually liked it.

"Dad! I was going to buy a car anyways. You didn't have to," I began, but he just shook his head.

"Ah, I wanted to. Not a big deal," he mumbled. I could see it clearly now. It was a huge truck, a faded red, with bulbous headlights. I smiled slightly. I could see myself in it.

"Thanks, Ch- Dad. I love it!" He beamed, very embarrassed, now, not seeing my slip. I wasn't allowed to call him Charlie to his face.

"Well, you're welcome," was all he said, taking in the gratefulness in my voice. Now I was positive: Charlie was not one for showing emotion. Must be where I got it from….

We had reached the house now, and I got out to examine my new car. It was old, but I could really see myself liking it. I told Charlie "thank you" one more time before we walked into the house and parted ways. He went to sit on the couch and watch a basketball game while I went upstairs to unpack my small bag that would always be mine.

It was the same room that I had when I was a baby, but the crib had been replaced by a bed, and a desk with an outdated computer and phone. Unpacking my bag hadn't taken very long, so when I was done, I stood in the middle of the room not wanting to know what to do with myself.

I stared out the window and saw the thick roof of clouds that made my heart accelerate, almost like I was hyperventilating. I had to get out. I stumbled down the stairs hastily and said, "Hey, Dad, can I try out my new truck?"

"Uh, sure, Bella. Do you think that you can get around the place?"

"Yeah, thanks," I said, grabbing the keys and running out the door. I climbed in the large truck and jammed the keys in the ignition. I jumped at the large roar that belonged to my car. I sighed, trying to slow my heart. Well, it couldn't be perfect.

I didn't really know where I wanted to go; I just had to get away from the creeping claustrophobia. For a few minutes, I just drove around the town before I figured that it would be best to find the school so that I wouldn't have to ask for directions. The thought of school made my stomach slightly uneasy, but I pushed the feeling away and soon found the school to be a cluster of the same colored buildings that had no metal detectors or metal fences at all. This fact confused me to an extent where I had to shake my head and just drive on.

I looked around a little more to find a grocery store and a small hospital where I noticed a slick, black Mercedes in the parking lot that stood out from all the others. You didn't see that in Forks often.

I stopped outside of what I guessed to be a park. It really was just a small area where people had cleared the trees out, added a running trail, and a few benches. I saw a father and son playing with a soccer ball and an old couple running down the trail. I settled for a small bench for two that seemed a little farther away from everything else in the park. I let my thoughts wonder for about ten minutes before I felt an odd sensation burning on my face, as if someone was watching me.

I looked up to see a boy around my age sitting on a bench all the way on the other side of the trail staring at me intently with beautiful, golden eyes.

From what I could tell from the distance I was at, he was very handsome. Maybe even beautiful. He had reddish-brown hair, more like a bronze color. His skin was very pale, paler than mine. He had a square jaw and a straight nose. He was inhumanly perfect, but what really captivated me were his eyes. They were a brilliant shade of gold, and they seemed bottomless, even from this distance. They held my gaze until I was finally able to break away when the old couple running down the trail ran between us, cutting off out locked gaze. I blinked.

Something was familiar about his features, but I couldn't fathom it.

I noticed the sky getting dark and the Charlie would be getting worried soon. I slowly stood up from my bench only once to see that he was gone. I shook my head slowly, and drove home, the whole time thinking about that one boy who kept staring at me with those captivating eyes.

**This chapter is dedicated to iamavampire4real for giving me this idea. Thank you! **

**(Edward couldn't smell her because he was too far away and there wasn't any wind or anything to carry her scent.) **

**Madds**


	4. Ignorance is Bliss

**Thank you to all of my reviewers. Thank you to Crazily Sane Pancake**

_**This chapter is going to be Edward's POV of the sighting at the park. **_

**Edward POV**

* * *

Jasper was… struggling.

And the whole family was suffering right along with him, cursing his peculiar talent for taking effect on all of us. He hadn't hunted for three and a half weeks, and that was causing him vast discomfort- something that we could all relate to, but not something that we particularly wanted to experience when it wasn't necessary. He would no doubt be hunting in a few hours, only to come back feeling as though the thirst hadn't been entirely satisfied.

Rosalie and Emmett had left the house. They didn't want to offend Jasper, but still not wanting to feel his affliction. But what the others didn't have to stress about or have to know was both the _thoughts_ and the _emotions_ of somebody suffering.

I sat on the living room couch, my head in my hands as I tried to fight off the now dull waves of discomfort and slight pain coming from upstairs- Jasper had taken refuge in his room- and the thoughts of affliction also ringing in my head.

What was the point of pushing him to his limit when all that could facilitate this problem was time? Groaning, I sat up straight. I had to leave. Out the door in seconds, and not bothering to take my car, I ran into the forest, letting the cool air clear my head. I slowed and drew closer to the edge of the forest to find the only park in Forks.

What an unusual place to find yourself.

As much as it was pointless to squander my time at the poor excuse of a park, I couldn't find myself to go back to my house. As an alternative, I settled for a bench a few meters away from a path that an old couple were slowly making their way down together. Even without being able to read their thoughts, anybody could tell that they cared for each other very much How nice it must be, to be able to grow old with somebody that you loved. Or just being able to grow old, even alone seemed enviable enough.

Quickly wanting to take these thoughts away from my head, I looked around the area to see a father and his son as well. They were tossing a Frisbee between each other, the father making it easy for the child to capture the toy in his ungainly hands. The child didn't notice. Such innocence, yet such ignorance. I had to believe for a moment that maybe ignorance _was_ bliss after all. Though the boy was oblivious to the fact that his father was making his effort to catch the Frisbee seem effortless, his enjoyment seemed massively pleasant.

I thought this concept over until my attention was caught by the roar of an impossibly old red truck that was slowly driving it's way to the park entry. The engine was cut abruptly, and a young woman of maybe 17 stepped out. She closed the door carefully and timidly made her way across the park. I leaned forward to rest both my elbows on my knees, and placed my chin on my fisted hands to better see this girl.

The way she walked confused me. It was probably a normal, almost instinct for her to walk like this, I assumed. She walked with her steps were very cautious, and her arms were crossed protectively in front of her. Her face was attractive, but it was uneasy, as if she were afraid of her surroundings. The most confusing part about this was why I felt the need to _protect _her from these feelings and these fears. I didn't even know her. But why did I want to?

I distracted myself from these absurd and perplexing thoughts by taking a closer look at her features. Though it was a huge distance for human eyes, I could see very clearly that she had long mahogany hair waving gracefully down her back that framed her heart shaped face. The porcelain skin was on her face was clear and creamy. Her lips were plump and looked very soft even at a distance. But her eyes were what captured me. They were huge chocolate orbs that were so full of profundity and depth that I couldn't look away. But there was something more pressing than her eyes, maybe. More concerning than captivating, though.

I couldn't read her mind. Not a word, not even a whisper. It was _infuriating_.

She soon noticed my intense staring, but I still couldn't look away from her enchanting gaze, or try to stop my furious attempt to read this girl's mind, yet hard as I try, I didn't hear a thing.

Never in my 107 years of living had I encountered a mind that I couldn't see into. Maybe if I heard her voice, it would be easier to hear her thoughts….

I stared at this mysterious girl, and she stared back, unlike most people who would look away quickly. It felt like there was some connection or force keeping our eyes locked, and as I tried to read her mind and explore her thoughts and her mind, I wanted to know everything about her. Everything about this complete stranger.

How could this be? I had never felt such a strong pull or interest towards anybody- nonetheless a mere _human._ Why did I want to know everything about her? Why? She was just a human.

Who just so happened to be the only person who's mind I couldn't read.

I was suddenly yanked from my thoughts when the old couple cut off our gaze, running right through the invisible connection. The gaze was released and we both looked away quickly, as if we'd been electrocuted. I ran as quickly as I could to the edge of the forest, where I could still see her.

I could hear her heart beat from all the way across the park accelerating when she glanced back to find me gone before standing up shakily. I watched her as she walked back to her car the same way she had before, reflexively terrified.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

After she left, I ran home and I never stopped thinking about the mysterious girl who, for some reason, I couldn't read.

* * *

_**Ignorance is Bliss- because Edward is unaware that Bella is his singer- ignorance, but he is drawn to her- bliss. Does that make sense?**_


	5. Dangerous

**Gah, I have MAJOR writer's block on this chapter. But I will write anyways. GAH!**

**Bella POV**

* * *

First days are not my thing. Period. So when I walked into my fourth class on my first day to Forks High School, I didn't bother to talk to anyone. It didn't surprise me when nobody talked to me; it had already been acknowledged before I had even entered the school grounds that I was shy enough that people wouldn't try to bring up conversation after they saw how much I didn't talk to them. That's the way I liked it. I think.

So it was a surprise when, to my dismay, Jessica Stanley walked up to me. The girl probably thought she was some great hero for doing "charity work".

"Hi, I'm Jessica. Do you want to come to lunch with me? You could sit with us," she sounded like she was handing out some great offer that was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I decided to humor her.

"Sure," was all I said before following her to the table. I didn't eat anything because I was far too nervous to eat anything on the first day. Then I saw him.

He was sitting at the farthest table from the entrance, away from everybody else with a group of people that looked like him. And he had caught me staring. The boy from the park had caught me staring.

But he didn't look away, even after I had jerked my gaze away. I could feel his gaze burning my face. Something was familiar about his features, and the people around him who must be his family.

"Edward Cullen is staring at you," Jessica mumbled to me. So that was his name.

"Who?" I asked innocently enough.

"Edward Cullen over there. He's staring at you. Have you met him before?" she asked curiously.

"Not really," I said vaguely.

"Well, I wouldn't waste your breath. He doesn't date," Jessica mumbled, looking away. I held back my laughter. Well _somebody _got turned down. I looked up at Edward to see him pressing his lips, as if he was trying hard not to smile at something. I blinked. It was like he had heard what Jessica had said.

I went back trying to find out why they looked so familiar. Pale skin, strange eyes, incredible features….

James.

I couldn't breathe. It dawned on me. These were like James, the man from the nightmares. These were dangerous people. They had to be.

"Bella? Were you listening to me?" Jessica sounded annoyed. I forced myself to suck in a breath of air.

"Sorry. Wasn't paying attention," I mumbled, my voice sounding small and weak. She gave me a strange look, but continued blabbing about the Cullens, but I wasn't concerned about what she had to say. I already knew. I should be scared of these people. They were like James.

I cut Jessica off mid- sentence. "Um, I'm going to head for class…. I'm not hungry," I said standing up.

"Er… sure. Whatever Bella," she said, sounding taken aback.

I started out for the cafeteria exit when it happened. I couldn't hear anything. Black smoke covered the entire area of the cafeteria, and I couldn't see anything. It wasn't a fire. It was The Shadow. My eyes watered from the smoke as it threatened to suffocate me. I walked casually through the thick smoke as if I were a normal person who didn't see the smoke. I held my breath as I opened the door, and it disappeared. The cafeteria babble came back, and nobody had noticed anything.

Except for Edward Cullen and his family.

Crap.

**Edward POV**

I watched as the mysterious girl known as Isabella- Bella Swan headed for the door abruptly, fear clear in her eyes as she averted my gaze. What did I do? Suddenly, a black smoke erupted from the walls, covering every surface of the cafeteria. My ears felt plugged, and I couldn't hear anything. I could hear thoughts of humans in the cafeteria, and they didn't notice a thing. I inhaled, but I didn't smell fire smoke. I smelled something else. Vampire.

"What is _happening," _Rose hissed. But I wasn't paying attention to her. I was paying attention to something else. Through the huge fog of black, I saw Bella Swan walking across the cafeteria, her walking seemed normal enough, but her face was pained, as if she couldn't breathe. Her eyes were squinted in concentration as she fought through the smog. She saw it too, yet other humans didn't. Something else that made her different from everybody else.

The second she opened the door, it was like somebody had pressed a play button after a long pause. The black smoke disappeared as light flew through the room, and humans noticed nothing. It was like it had never happened.

My brothers and sisters exchanged anxious glances and their thoughts were as bewildered as their faces. Something was going on with another vampire, and somehow Isabella Swan was in the middle of it.

_**PREVIEW:**_

_**Edward POV (Still)**_

_I stood up to follow Bella out the door, but Alice grabbed my arm and forced me back down. Her expression was worried._

_"Edward, something's wrong. I had a vision and... Edward she's your singer." I stared down at her, not knowing what to do or say. Of all my years, I had never been fascinated by such a human as this. The one human I did feel a pull to, and she was my singer. I sighed. _

"_What else did you see?" I knew that she saw something else that she didn't want to tell me. Something concerning this girl. Her brow furrowed._

"_I don't know exactly. It has something to do with what just happened. With another vampire. She knows. Well, she doesn't know about vampires, but I think she has… encountered with vampires before…. I'm not sure. But something's going to happen in biology class with her, and I don't know what will happen if you're not there…. I don't know!"_

**r&r**


	6. A Warning

**Beta: Okay, now you may not know this, but she is depressed about this story not being good enough for you people. PROVE HER WRONG AND REVIEW!! I'll give you a cookie...if you do... **

**Author: Ignore her. But to warn you- this chapter isn't fully beta-ed because after I finished the whole chapter, I let my awesome beta sleep instead of editing this chapter that she already partially edited. Aren't I nice?**

* * *

**EPOV**

I stood up to follow Bella out the door, but Alice grabbed my arm and tried to force me back down. I let her pull me down, not wanting to hurt her. Her expression was worried.

"Edward, something's wrong. I had a vision and…," she hesitated, but I could hear it clear as day in her thoughts. I pressed my lips to let her continue the horrific news. "Edward she's your singer."

I stared down at her, not knowing what to do or say. Of all my years, I had never been fascinated by such a human as this. The one person I did feel a pull to, that I wanted to know, and she was my singer. I sighed heavily, closing my eyes and bringing a hand to pinch the bridge of my nose.

"What else did you see?" I knew there was something she didn't want to tell me. Something concerning this girl. I opened my eyes to see her brow furrowed.

"I don't know exactly. It has something to do with what just happened," She paused, "With another vampire. She knows. Well, she doesn't know about vampires, but I think she has… encountered with vampires before…. I'm not sure. But something's going to happen in biology class, and I don't know what will happen if you're not there… I don't know!"

She growled, frustrated by the holes in her vision.

And it sure as hell didn't help me with the current situation.

* * *

The smart, responsible thing to do was get far away from that school as soon as possible.

To never walk through that hallway, enter that biology class, and sit at that one wretched lab table where I would, without a doubt, have to balance precariously on the very tip of a volatile needle, destined to fall, taking Bella down with me.

But, try as I might, my will broke when sheer inquisitiveness took control of my weaker side. The side that wanted to discern the mystery that was Isabella Swan.

"Whether she knows it or not, this girl has some sort of relation with vampires," I had persuaded. "Alice foresaw that I have a class with her. If I can withstand the one hour to find out if she's a threat or not, it will make everybody's life a lot easier if we don't have to find out the hard way," I ignoring the pleading looks Alice was giving me and Jasper's perplexed face.

He could tell that there was more to my actions than trying to make my family's life easier.

The looks on the rest of my siblings told me that they found it painfully obvious also.

"You're endangering her life by doing this, Edward. And not to mention the pain that you'll be going through if you stay," Emmett tried. I shook my head.

"It has to be done." With that, I turned my back on them and walked to my next class. Biology.I didn't exactly know what was so compelling about this girl. Obviously, I couldn't read her thoughts. That was annoying and gripping enough to make me want to find out more about her.

But the way she had acted that one day in the park was… unnerving. The unsettling feeling to shield her from whatever she seemed to be unconsciously shrinking away from made me feel tense. I couldn't shake it.

And then there was today at lunch.

She had seen the odd black smoke that was practically dripping with the smell of vampire when no other normal human had seen it.

Of course, there wasn't anything about Bella Swan that said normal. And for some reason, I wanted to know why.

As if Alice was the one who could read my mind, I heard her thoughts whisper to me as a deathly reminder, Be careful, Edward. She's your singer.

I sighed as I walked into the small classroom, early. I sat down in my usual seat and tried to sort out my priorities.

_She's your singer…._

I gritted my teeth as the smart, responsible concept came up again. I knew what I had to do and what I wanted to do. What I wanted to do just happened to be the opposite of smart and responsible.

I had to make sure this girl wasn't a threat in order to protect my family. I couldn't risk endangering her life just because I was simply curious. No matter how much that insane pull to her wanted to know everything about her….

My eyes flashed to her small frame as Bella paused outside of the door.

I watched with deep concentration as she slowly entered the classroom. She clutched her books in front of her shyly when she marched slowly to the back of the classroom. I took one more deep breath of clean air and clenched my teeth, preparing myself for what would surely happen when she walked past me.

_She's your singer…_

_Shut up, Alice._

Sadly, Alice couldn't hear me.

She took that one step that would throw her life into jeopardy, and I composed my face into a mask of, hopefully, a normal person at school. She looked at me as she went forward, and though I could swear that I looked as unthreatening as I could have, when she saw my face, a look of absolute terror crossed her face.

I didn't dare breathe, even if I wanted to.

As she watched me, her expression changed only the slightest bit. Confusion and interest. I slowly inhaled through my nose.

Blistering, angry flames exploded and crackled in my throat, scorching and smoldering everything. I couldn't breathe. I locked my jaw, trying not to shake compulsively and rip away from my chair to attack her, to sink my teeth in her soft, clear, delicate skin.

I roared furiously at myself. **_NO! YOU MUSN'T TOUCH THE GIRL! KEEP HER SAFE!_ **

Why I told myself to keep her safe, protected, I didn't know, but I was too distracted with a few things to work out my mental issues.

--

The fire burned. The girl that I wanted so badly to hate sat right next to me, so close, smoldering and burning me without ever making contact. I clenched my jaw, squeezing my eyes shut, and prepared myself another breath through my teeth.

My throat ablaze with inferno, I swallowed back the venom pooled in my mouth. Still, the white hot firestorm had been diminished by a the most negligible proportion, not as excruciating as before. But not by much.

I held my breath again, body rigid as she flipped her hair nervously, the sweet scent fanning out on my face, teasing me. Taunting me. I forced myself to take another severe breath. Almost easy to breathe, yet so unbearable.

And then… the agony disappeared. For the smallest, most relieving, beautiful second, it all went away. Something had caused a wave of fresh, clean air to wash over the room in a light expanse of bliss. But as soon as it had come, it was gone, right as I was taking in another deep, cleansing breath. Caught off guard, the sweltering bonfire scorched again, stronger than ever.

I shuddered, shaking my head furiously, oblivious to the confused, slightly frightened thoughts from the teacher and other students.

I took another burning breath, and my eyes flashed open. In my reprieve of the fresh air, I hadn't realized that there was something off about the pure air. The scent still lingered, hanging in the air like a dense blanket of trepidation.

It smelled of vampire.

Bella started to tremble. I met her gaze, breathing through my nose, letting it scorch me, as I read the total fear in her eyes, seeing the reflection of my own troubled, hungry eyes in the deep brown pools.

An awful, high pitched keening screech struck my ears, threatening to make my head explode with the cruelty of the sheer stress, and our heads both snapped to the stabbing reverberation at the front of the room.

The chalkboard.

_Freaks_, I heard someone think. A fog of confusion clouded my thoughts; just as before, no one else had seen or heard it.

Maybe….

I inhaled to test my new theory. The scent of vampire was stronger now through the intense forest fire of searing blazes. I took another searing breath. Definitely vampire.

I stared at the chalkboard while the teacher used his hands to gesture to the biology diagram he had drawn. I tuned on his mind, blocking out everyone else's thoughts, only to find the two foot long abrasion invisible through his eyes.

I frowned and pulled away from the human mentality to immediately find the long, deep scratch on the ebony surface there, clear as day.

The girl's heart pounded, pulsing blood through her frail body, making her scent burn me so much more. I swallowed more venom, fighting a hiss of frustration. I was cut off my another screaming squeal, making Bella's breathing hitch, trembling. I wanted so badly to take the pain away, make her feel safe. But the horrible sound continued to shatter my eardrum.

I looked up in shock when I saw what was causing the noise.

Or rather… what wasn't causing the noise.

As if an invisible hand was raking ten foot long nails across the chalkboard, the screeching lines formed on the black board, agonizingly slow as the lines slowly formed letters, leaving a faint trace of thick, ebony smoke.

Bella whimpered under her breath as the screaming cruelty only grew louder.

A sudden ache burning not only in my throat; that anguish had not disappeared, but somehow grew smaller, less important. This new pain was in my chest, right where my heart would be….

The acute shrieking was cut off all at once, and the familiar scent of vampire was now stale, but still hung in the air, not as a relief, but now as a painful reminder of the echoing torture that still rang in my ears.

The quiet hush of small conversation that must have started sometime earlier filled my senses, the innocent humans naïve and clueless of anything that had happened.

Bella's blood pulsated at a hard, chaotic rhythm, sending waves of oppressive conflagration pounding in my throat, but the pain was only a constant remembrance in the back of my mind now as I breathed.

She looked up at me, dread, pain, alarm, and fear all a mixture on her appealing face. I stared back, not breathing, but not from the fire. I stared into her large eyes, trying to prod answers from her without speaking.

She broke away, shuddering slightly and her eyes flashed urgently to the black board, all but forgotten in her endless eyes.

My head snapped up to the chalk board, inhaling small flames, and I froze. Written in deep, permanent gashes that made me internally wince looking at the memento of affliction was a warning not for me, but for Bella.

_You can abscond forever, but you can't ever escape me. **Ever.**_

The shrill bell rang but I stayed in my seat, staring at those words written a scratchy, deadly handwriting, trying to make out the obvious threat aimed at Bella.

The scraping of the chair next to me seemed to loud when I tore my gaze from the ominous forewarning to see Bella stumbling out the door, silent tears staining her cheeks.

* * *

My internal struggle for smart and irresponsible seemed impossibly inadequate and inconsequential, trivial, as I stood outside Chief Swan's house, looking up at the window that had to be hers.

Bella was afraid of me, I knew by the way that she looked at me the first time she saw me. I wanted so desperately to change her mind. I knew it was better this way.

The sweltering bonfire that had scorched and blistered my throat earlier today was nothing but a small flicker of combustion ever breath I took now, the sweet, mouthwatering scent a permanent perfume in the air I breathed. I could hear her heartbeat, almost feel the warmth radiating from her window as I leapt soundlessly into the large tree by her room.

Why I was here, the answer was as confusing to me as it was clear.

I was hopelessly addicted.

The need to know her and to defend her was so magnetic and pulling that it was almost painful to not know her every secret, her every fear. I had to know why she was being threatened, why it was something vampire, why she was involved.

I had to know. I had to protect her.

Captivated as I was, I knew that I was far out of my league. That I was putting her life into jeopardy and that I could never be more of an outcast acquaintance to her.

But it didn't mean I couldn't get my answers and keep her protected without her knowing.

I leaned over and slowly opened the window, keeping the rusty screen hushed as I worked it ajar. Leaping inside, I took in everything around me, the strong ache in my throat, the slightly untidy room, the unsteady beat of her heart, her father sleeping downstairs on the couch. My attention was back to Bella where she cried out softly in her sleep before turning over again.

I stared at Bella, alarmed as she twisted in her small bed, whispering unintelligible things to herself. She was obviously having the most terrifying, horrific dream a human could ever imagine.

And I was standing there, powerless.

I slowly walked over, desperate to find something to help her. The dull pain in my throat roared up the closer I got to her, but I pushed it away stubbornly, refusing to let it get in the way.

Her attractive face was crumpled in pain and suffering as she breathed heavily, internally struggling for peace.

I was about to reach out, somehow do something when I knew I could never touch her, never lay a hand on her as long as she lived, when her eyes snapped open, wild with alarm and panic.

I was frozen, feeling as though my whole body had been paralyzed to never move again, as she slowly took in my dark silhouette, standing there in the middle of her room, while she woke up from an awful nightmare.

Then, Bella screamed.

* * *

**_Author's note: First, I want y'all to know that this story is still up all thanks to two awesome people. (Thank you so much Tiffany and Callie.) I had more than half a mind to delete this whole story, but I was convinced to let it rot instead._ **

**--**

**Random Song Choices:**

**Tourniquet- Evanescence (I love this song)**

**I Can't Stay Away- The Veronicas (In case you haven't noticed, I love them.)**

**Let the Flames Begin- Paramore (One of my favorite bands- not to mention Haley's hair is awesome- it looks like fire, man.)**


	7. Alice

**I AM SO SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DON'T HATE ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**-DIVES UNDER CHAIR TO AVOID FIREBALLS OF FURY-**

* * *

**Bella**

_James was in my room. _

I couldn't breathe. How could he _do_ that? Though the question was, how _did _he do that? James had never been able to touch me in my nightmares, and now he was in my room, watching me while I slept. So _close_.

Close enough to reach for me…to kill me…

I took in sharp, painful gasps of air as I thought of the one thing that made no sense. While James watched me sleep in my room, I was having possibly mental nightmares of him at the same time. Could he be in two places at once?

I jumped out of my skin as I heard a noisy pounding from the stairs in the house. Charlie came bursting in, clutching his gun, face pink. My eyes widened, registering what had occurred, as I tried to stop my shaking hands. "What happened?" he demanded, eyes raking my room. Damn. I hadn't had this problem back at home; an earthquake could split the house in half and my family would sleep right through it.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to wake you," I murmured unsteadily, my voice quavering. He didn't seem to hear me.

"Bella! Bella, are you okay?" I sighed, feeling the color coming back to my face slowly.

"I'm fine. Nothing's wrong. Please go back to sleep." He stared at me, not entirely comprehending that I was okay… on the outside.

"What were you screaming about?" he questioned, disoriented.

"I didn't hear a scream. Go back to sleep." Charlie stared at his bare feet, mumbling to himself stubbornly. I swung my legs around my bed and walked up to him carefully. I wasn't completely sure if my legs would support my body. He looked up at me like he was seeing my face for the first time.

"Hey," I whispered gently, taking his arm. I led my dad down the stairs slowly and back to his room, where he dropped the gun and automatically fell back onto his bed, snoring soundlessly.

I walked back up to my room, stumbling around twice in the dark. I sank down into my mattress and gulped loudly, knowing I wouldn't be able to sleep even if I wanted to.

Because all I could think about was that James had been in my room, leaning over my bed, his pale hand half stretched out to me.

---

"How did you sleep, Bells?" Charlie asked me the next morning, completely oblivious.

_Oh, I slept wonderfully, but I could use a new pillow; this one is a little old. By the way, I woke up to the most pleasant wakeup call from my personal devil from hell and the sweet sound of birds singing. Thanks for asking._

"Fine." I replied curtly, staring up at my dad with blood shot eyes. He pressed his lips as he shrugged his police jacket on and picked up his gun that he had found lying on his bedroom floor this morning with no recall on how it got there.

"Good, good," he muttered, shoving his feet in his boots, yawning. "The people at school being nice?" I hoped this routine of us chatting small talk wouldn't grow to be a pattern.

I swallowed when I thought of the one family that I should have feared. "Yeah, everyone is very… hospitable." Would he buy my weak attempt to sound casual?

"That's nice." Apparently so. "Well, I'll see you tonight then," he finally said, pausing to look at me. I gave a half smile, and he was out the door.

I was left alone to sit at the kitchen table and think about the upcoming day. My mind automatically flew to Edward Cullen. The day at the park, he was so… absorbing and enticing. In a good and exotic way.

Not the way James' stare lured his prey in- I had seen him murder numerous people in nightmares and it was absolutely appalling.

Nothing like the way Edward had seemed. Edward had seemed completely different and interesting. That is until, I made the connection and saw how dangerous he must be. Walking past him in biology, for almost two seconds he had seemed so open and kind, but then I watched his face transform before my very eyes. Irises black, similar to a bottomless gorge like James' before he would slay innocent people in their sleep, body rigid and powerful like he was ready to pounce and kill me with an elegant twist of his fingers at my neck.

I still couldn't help but think back to those few seconds where he looked sincere and in the park. I was an idiot for wanting to see him again today, even if I was terrified to do so. I was sure of two things.

One, he was dangerous, but there was definitely something else different about him that allured me completely.

Two, he hated me, and that was clear enough to go without an explanation.

**Edward**

I wanted to run. Not just from that small, burning room, but from _her_. The thirst was an appalling craving claw, slashing at my steel throat, now stronger than ever, like the sudden strength willing me to resist and ignore the desire had been switched off when she screamed bloody murder. As I disappeared through her window, leaving her terrified and thoroughly shaken, I couldn't keep the waves of despair from crashing into me as I fled through the forest.

She had screamed when she saw me. I had scared her, rocked her to the core. And she absolutely hated me.

---

I came home twenty minutes before school started the next day, but I damn certain that I didn't want to face another day in the same building as that frustrating girl. I disregarded the looks from my family as I trudged up the stairs, in no rush to go to my room and think over my priorities. Alice fabricating on the step in front of me, and I sighed.

"I don't know," I answered her unspoken question. She frowned at me, eyes bothered. I tried to move around her, but she refused to let me pass.

"I think… maybe you should go." I barked out a somewhat hysterical laugh, making her eyes narrow dangerously.

"Okay, Alice, I'll go and endanger the innocent girl's life just because I find her interesting." I stepped to the left to get past, but she moved with me, opening her mouth to speak with words that blended with each other in her haste to talk to me.

"There's more to it, and you know that just as well as I do, probably more. Just listen to me for once," she demanded, seeing me roll my eyes stubbornly.

"What, Alice? What do you think I should do? Just do what I want, disrespecting the fact that she wants nothing to do with our family as she should. She doesn't need our interference in her life." Alice stared at her shoes intensely, thinking through each sentence before she spoke it.

"I want you to stay close to her… What I've seen, it's extremely unclear. But there is something exceptionally uncommon about her that nobody knows, even me." I opened my moth to interpose, but she cut in forcefully.

"Yes, Edward, she's human and it's insanely unsafe for you to be around her, but I've seen that she needs you in her life… and you _need her_." Alice stared me down eloquently before stepping gracefully aside without another word, leaving me to march to my room and make the choice she already knew would be made.

---

I watched Bella leave the cafeteria later than she should without eating nearly as much as I would have liked her to. Not that I cared.

Under my breath, I growled crossly, aggravated with myself for thinking this, and I could feel Alice's gaze smoldering me. I met her eyes venomously, angry at her for pushing me to make such dramatic and dangerous actions.

Yes, I would stay close to Isabella, but I wouldn't utter a single word to her. No matter how much it pained me. The infuriating thing was that Alice didn't think I could do it. She _wanted_ me to slip up and talk to her, to get to know her. To endanger her existence.

The stupid pixie was hiding something with unbearable isolation, refusing to let anything fall through the cracks. Whatever she saw was something that Alice thought would be best for Bella, would fix whatever she saw wrong. It was something that she wanted desperately. I hated to think that whatever Alice wanted, she got. I knew that she already had a plan that would undoubtedly work to her advantage. But I wouldn't let that happen.

I ignored curious looks from my family as the next thing Alice thought had me shoving off from the table and striding out the door before Jasper could demand to know what my problem was.

_You don't want to be late for class, Edward. Never keep a lady waiting._

**Bella**

I had decided to avoid Edward Cullen at all costs, no matter how different he may be, or how beautiful, or mysterious or enthralling he was. Clearly he wanted nothing to do with me, and it was pathetic to look forward to seeing such a scary, beautiful, exceptional boy every day.

I was putting biology off all morning, staying in the cafeteria as long as possible and taking my slow time down the long hallway, dreading the next hour of trying not to look at him to see if he looked as mad as he did like yesterday, or just to check and see what color his eyes were today; at lunch I could have sworn they were a different color.

Of course, with my luck, only a minute after I had sat down at the cold lab table, Edward made his appearance, looking surprisingly calm and uncomfortable at the same time. It was insufferably difficult to shun his presence when he sat down next to me, sitting as far away from me as possible.

And I wanted so badly to look at him.

* * *

Three weeks. I had ignored Edward for _three weeks._ School had dulled to a boring gray in the back of my head as it became a less important topic in my life as, for the first time, the nightmares slowly started to calm until they were nothing but an unpleasant aftertaste every morning when I woke up, feeling like I had actually been able to sleep during the night.

But then, of course, that left time to dream about other things. Or people. When James wasn't haunting me, I dreamt of Edward Cullen, and in every dream, he was the same. Each time his eyes were black and cruel, and he was always glaring at me menacingly, never breathing.

That day I woke up with wide eyes; I had dreamt of Edward, but this Edward was so different than ever before. He was relaxed, open, and kind. His eyes were like his other family members, a lighter color that I couldn't place from across the school cafeteria. Through the whole dream, it was insanely bothersome, not knowing what this other, warmer Edward's eyes looked like.

That day I tried to reveal this at lunch when I thought he wasn't looking, but it was impossible. But something else about the Cullen family had me glancing back at their table in surprised double takes. Alice Cullen was acting very strange.

She was staring at me with an intensity I wouldn't have expected from such a tiny girl, her eyes dark with confusion and an unexplainable demanding look. Like she was waiting for me to do something. The very way she was sitting was puzzling enough; she was stiff and looked so excruciatingly impatient that I couldn't bear to look at her anymore. I stood up and left, and I could feel her eyes burning holes in the back of my head.

When Edward sat down next to me two minutes later, I automatically stiffened, forcing myself to concentrate on whatever I was doodling on my notebook. But I couldn't help but think back to the dream I had last night of the gentle Edward with the indecipherable eyes, and I allowed myself one brief, fleeting look that broke me in two seconds flat.

_His eyes were an exquisite, honey colored topaz._

**Edward**

One glance into this amazing girl's eyes, and I lost all of my will I could afford to lose. In that one elusive stare into two deep, chocolate brown pools of wonder, I was giving in to something that I didn't even understand. But frankly, I just didn't care.

"Hello, my name is Edward Cullen."

Somewhere, in another building, I could swear that I heard Alice laughing.

* * *

**BN: I know, we know, it took us FOREVER to update. But here it is! Now, press that lil review button, and 1) make us Happy XD 2) You get a complimentary reply (Not guaranteed) and 3) A free virtual non-edible cookie! =D **

**AN: **_**PLEASE. DON'T. KILL. ME. **_**I know I haven't updated in FOUR MONTHS, and I am terribly sorry for that, but please don't kill me! Please tell me what you think, whether you think it sucked, or that it was confusing or maybe even good? (The cookies are chocolate.)**

**PS: I was supposed to update early Sunday afternoon, but that stupid STUPID glitch made me wait until now. ****L**

_**DON'T MAKE ME GO TO SCHOOL TOMORROW WITHOUT ANY REVIEWS TO BE HAPPY ABOUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**_


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